Afrobeats Explosion

The Afrobeats scene has virtually exploded in recent years, which is also reflected in the lively party scene that has developed around this genre. At the forefront from the beginning: &quot;Afrobeats Explosion&quot; at Moods. From its origins with Fela Kuti in the 70s to Wizkid – get ready for a special kind of dance explosion!

The Clients

Digital EP Release «Sell Out»

This formation has been shining as an irresistible groove machine on the Swiss soul and funk scene for years. The sheer joy of playing and the irrepressible sound that these five experienced musicians conjure up together on stage will make even the designated dance grouches twitch their hips. After several releases over the last few decades, they are now christening their new EP «Sell Out» at Moods.

Saxophon

Guitar

Keyboards

Bass

Drum Kit

Mostar Sevdah Reunion

Kultur Shock & Moods present

The story of this ensemble is one of success against all odds. In 1999, Bosnian sound engineer and producer Dragi Šestić gathered a group of musicians from different ethnic backgrounds – Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks - in war-torn Mostar. At the time, it was a bold venture that was initially met with more suspicion than interest. Some bands get boring with age, others get better. Mostar Sevdah Reunion fall into the second category, and you don&#x27;t even know how they do it, because you were already more than satisfied with the previous album. The Bosnian combo seems to be getting more and more relaxed, they have nothing to prove anymore. No note is too much and everything is just right. They also know how to surprise again and again. After collaborations with Saban Bajramović, Esma Redzepova, Boban Marković and other Balkan greats, they are now working on their twelfth album with Antonija Batinić, who used to play rock, jazz and blues. It alludes to Robert Golden&#x27;s film Stories of Sevdah, in which Sevdah is described as &#x27;Balkan blues&#x27;. Comparisons between genres are always a misnomer, but there is a parallel, as Rusmir Pobrić so aptly explains in the liner notes: Blues is the music of slaves, Sevdah is the music of the slaves of love. Listeners can expect eleven tracks of great emotion – without any kitsch.

Mario Peric

Warm Up & Afterparti

The BalkanEkstra Parti doesn&#x27;t stop at oriental sounds or Arabic rhythms - the main thing is to dance! With the legendary concert and party series Kultur Shock, Mario Peric is one of the pioneers of the Balkan scene as an organizer, DJ and producer. He has been thrilling audiences for many years with his varied, explosive and crazy sounds. His musical spectrum cannot be pinned down to one direction. The main thing is that it rocks!

Vocals

Piano

Violin

Millà – Guy – Niggli

Lucas Niggli – GLUT3

This brand-new trio takes a completely contemporary approach to jazz&#x27;s loaded yet magnificent instrumental formula: the piano trio. Perhaps comparable to the symbolism of the string quartet in classical music, is still an enormously rich playing field in terms of colour and interaction possibilities. In this constellation, however, not only do three improvisers who have been washed in many waters and one improviser who is yet to be discovered in this country meet, all of whom are also among the innovators in the way they play their instruments, but three musicians who are also active as composers in the field of contemporary music, performance and current forms of jazz. The pianist is not accompanied by a rhythm section, and the established roles are constantly dismantled, resulting in an extremely agile, intense trio music, characterised by a high level of formal awareness, nimble turns, beautiful sounds, wit and a discipline that gives the improvisations a special urgency. The well-rehearsed duo Barry Guy – Lucas Niggli, which can already look back on 25 years of history (in the trio Demierre – Guy – Niggli, in the quintet Lucas Niggli BIG ZOOM, in Barry Guy&#x27;s London Jazz Composers Orchestra, in the trio with Maya Homburger and in the &quot;HexenTrio&quot; with the legendary Canadian pianist Paul Plimely) is once again expanded into a triangle and finds a congenial partner in Jordina Millà for a dance on a tightrope without a net or false bottom.

JazzBaragge Wednesday Jam

The JazzBaragge Wednesday Jam offers an important platform for the Swiss jazz jam scene. After the musical opening of the jam band, lively and exciting sound conversations begin between musicians who spontaneously meet on stage, reflecting the diversity of jazz in all its facets. The JazzBaragge Wednesday Jam is supported by the non-profit association JazzBaragge. There is no presale for JazzBaragge, only box office.

Dimitri Howald & the Amnis Band Extended

Album Release «Southern Return»

Guitarist Dimitri Howald lets himself drift on his third solo album Southern Return - with a curiously yearning music that brings together the most diverse influences from jazz, new wave and tropicalismo to create a very personal mixture. Drive off - to where the forests give way to palm trees and the landscapes are vast and tropical. The times, places and influences overlap in these 12 very personal pieces of music, which Dimitri Howald recorded all by himself: We hear Brazilian tropicalismo influences, light and delicate jazz guitar figures, harmonies that radiate an untranslatable saudade, while the wave drum machine sets the pace at times, as on earlier albums. Dimitri Howald recorded Southern Return over the course of three years. He plays with the individual musical elements, tinkers, sings, warms - and breaks the idyll with analog synth sounds that emphasize the shadows or with pieces that lead right into the youthful grunge band cellar. Slight melancholy, longing, unfulfilled and as yet unrealized dreams: all this resonates delicately in this music. The concert will be played with reinforcements, i.e. Howald&#x27;s Amnis Band will be stretched out and enlarged. His quartet, consisting of Stefan Schischkanov, Toni Schiavano and Flo Reichle, will be joined by Michael Haudenschild, Sebastian Lötscher, Nao Rohr and Cégiu for a truly extended evening.

Viola

Cello

Claudia Masika

Experiencing music together is the focus of the family concert series at Moods. There are no children&#x27;s songs, but rather concerts with good music that invite you to dance and be amazed. In a relaxed and happy atmosphere, young and old have the opportunity to explore the colorful world of musical styles together and share their enthusiasm. Her grandmother recognized Claudia Masika&#x27;s singing talent at an early age. She introduced Claudia to the magic of traditional singing in the Luo language. Claudia has been in Switzerland for about 15 years and has established herself as a top act with her international band. Her own version of the Afro fusion sound has found favor with a wide audience at home and abroad, far beyond the Afro fan community. On stage, Claudia Masika is a force to be reckoned with and with a large portion of positive energy and humor, meaningful songs and an experienced band behind her, she puts smiles on the faces of the audience and rhythm in their legs. - Duration of the concert 50-65 minutes - Children of all ages are welcome to attend this concert. - We will make sure the volume is appropriate, but we still recommend ear protection for the little ones. - Children under the age of 12 can attend the concert free of charge, but we ask that you reserve a free ticket in the system. - Young people between the ages of 12 and 16 pay half price. - Can&#x27;t afford a ticket? Send us an email at info@moods.ch.

Percussion

K.O.S Crew Dancehall Mood

Party

Dancehall Mood is the monthly reggae and dancehall party at Moods. Like on every first Saturday of the month, the K.O.S crew will make the Moods club cooking with hot riddims. This promises an evening full of dancehall hits and reggae rarities, perfectly tuned to the respective audience and immaculately presented by the K.O.S crew and their guest.

Les Frères Smith

Les Frères Smith have been a mainstay of the Parisian Afro-groove scene for almost 20 years. Always on the lookout for something new, the eleven brothers have never gotten stuck in the mire of repetition. Permeable to outside influences from noisy concrete cities and nature, Les Frères Smith have combined funk and highlife, jazz and soul, tropical flavors, glowing copper and polyrhythms into a highly inflammable fuel heated by the enchanting voice of Swala Emati Smith and the fury of Prosper Smith. They call this fuel Afrikanbeat.

Trumpet

Altsaxophon

Flute

Baritone Saxophone

Mareike Wiening US Quintet

«Reveal»

As she set out to conceive the music for her third album Reveal as a leader, drummer/composer Mareike Wiening glanced around and discovered a wealth of potential inspirations in the tumultuous events of recent years. Of course, there were the global upheavals that we’ve all watched unfold with bated breath: the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, political divisiveness in the U.S., Europe and beyond. Then there were the life-altering experiences that took place closer to home: Wiening moved back to her native Germany in 2018 after six years in New York, settling in Cologne. She suffered the death of a close family member after witnessing a slow decline in health, and she’s reaching a stage of life where societal pressures to settle down and start a family begin to strongly impinge. All of this set against the backdrop of an uncertain future for the music industry as inflation soars in Germany. Realizing that such heady subjects could result in a decidedly stark and somber album, Wiening chose not to react but to reveal, searching inward for the warmth and spirit that connected her with music in the first place. On Reveal, her third album for Greenleaf Music, Wiening has crafted her richest and most deeply personal music to date. “Personally and as a musician, I’ve been in so many situations in the past few years where the future feels insecure or questionable,” Wiening says. “I really wanted to listen deep inside myself and find the joy and hope in music.”

Composition

Simon Spiess Helio

Album Release «Helio»

A somnambulistic journey through moods, rhythms and energies. Although Simon Spiess Helio Quartet have not been playing together in this constellation for very long, they feel a strong bond. This closeness gives their sound an organic wholeness that lasts and touches until the very last note. Malcolm Braff shines on the piano with an expressive, sometimes bluesy touch and inspires with his percussive, repetitive way of caressing and breaking up the melody. Saxophonist Simon Spiess&#x27; solos shine with an unfathomable sensitivity and creative power. His embracing timbre spreads across the band&#x27;s sound like the warming beams of a setting sun, and even in the higher registers his tone retains its compact and grounded quality, lending the harmonies even more depth and substance. Bänz Oester impresses with his clearly emphasized bass lines and melodic, lyrical solos, which fit perfectly into the band&#x27;s sound structure and yet stand out with their uniqueness. Drummer Samuel Dühsler subtly underlays the swinging, bouncy rhythms with brushes and light pulses on the cymbals, providing the necessary structure. He creates the important balance to the melodies and harmonies and enriches them with a gentle conciseness.  Two generations come together here, enriching each other through their individual experiences and processes and creating a profound whole with their own compositions. In their sound, which is rooted in jazz, they organically and intelligently integrate other styles and influences - it is innovative, international and timeless. The strength of this outstanding band is their rhythmic interweaving, combined with an incredible harmonic sensitivity and dense, restrained expressiveness that makes their music resonate in the soul and heart for a long time to come.  The debut album by Simon Spiess Helio Quartet, recorded by SRF, will be released by Unit Records in February.

HSLU @ JazzBaragge

Driss El Maloumi

The undeniable talent of Driss and his two accomplices and their incredible on-stage complicity never cease to surprise and fascinate the audiences who attend their performances. In this trio project Driss invites us to distil the spices gleaned from the thousand paths he travelled between Arab, Western and sub-Saharan cultures.Quietly, simply, in the intimacy of a dialogue with two percussionists. So that his instrument can fully express its greed, its desire to revel in contact with other essences, other colours. He translates into music this personal journey between his own tradition and his encounters with other cultures.

Mammal Hands

Sometimes meditative, sometimes cinematic, with rhythmic elements that evolve, complement each other and develop into a driving maelstrom: Mammal Hands play a driving fusion of jazz and electronica that never loses its accessibility despite its complexity. On the contrary, the trio&#x27;s energetic live performances can put you in an almost trance-like state. The band is now on the road with their fifth album &quot;Gift from the Trees&quot; (2023) - a must for all fans of Portico Quartet, Gogo Penguin or Grandbrothers.

In Between Plus

Roberto Domeniconi

Music between the genres of today&#x27;s jazz, with a background of many years of experience in the jazz tradition and the experimental electronic music of the past decades: the electronic wizard and saxophonist Bruno Spoerri, the versatile pianist Roger Girod and the sensitive percussionist Tony Renold have come together to make music which has been freed of any stylistic boundaries.

Rapid Ear Movement

Four elegant men explore virtual particle fields, random unpredictable sonic constants, entanglement, mangledment, and several other superlatives of musical expression. All of this while having a great deal of fun!

Synthophone

Electronics

Ali Dada

Local support will be provided by the Zurich band Ali Dada. Their music sounds like psychedelic guitars, sluggish drums and blurred soundscapes. The band draws essences from surf rock, slow jazz, lo-fi beats and ambient and cooks up their very own soup - dense, analog and full of joy. While their last releases were still located in downtempo and afterhour sounds, their recently released album Sum features a completely new, unique sound. Difficult to pin down and yet still present - somewhere between jazz, wave and the legacy of J Dilla.

Domenique Dumont

Domenique Dumont likes to keep quiet when it comes to the exact composition of the project. Until the booking was confirmed, it was also unclear to us who or what Domenique Dumont actually is - band, duo, solo project? But as the saying goes: It&#x27;s only music, baby. So why bother with trivialities? The act has also completely dispensed with a social media presence. When navigating through Dumont&#x27;s Spotify profile, you come across playlists with names like Global Groove (Groovy Sounds from around the World) or Electronica Romantica (Delicate digital expressions of the heart) and want to pee on the Porsche of the Spotify marketing people responsible. Because Domenique Dumont&#x27;s music is far removed from musical clichés. Instead, references from 50 years of pop culture and rare grooves are masterfully interpreted and served up instrumentally in a finely seasoned soundscape with extremely catchy melodies.

Sleepii & Chrigi G. us Z.

Warm Up & Afterparty

Before, between and especially after the concerts, GDS resident DJs take over the decks: Sleepii has been mixing bouncy tracks full of energy as part of the Fögel for almost ten years. Solo, she makes the music sound dreamy - the perfect way to drift off. But don&#x27;t worry: so far nobody has dozed off while listening! Chrigi G. from Z. has been collecting music for a long time. Almost pathologically, actually. With GDS.FM, he has now found a way to make it accessible. He puts together daily playlists in the radio program and presents his favorites mixed in clubs and bars or at festivals.

Trombone

Synthesizer

Harp

Since 2017, we have been streaming some of the concerts and enabling the musicians to earn additional income - 70% of the subscription revenue goes directly to the musicians. With a subscription you get access to over 600 concerts and help to keep this project running.

Streaming

Over 700 video-on-demand and 40 live streams per year from jazz, global, blues, funk, soul and rap await you. Curated with playlists and recommendations from our program team. In addition, 70% of the subscription revenue goes directly to the musicians. With a subscription you support the artists and this project.

London Jazz Calling

Mammal Hands